I almost didn’t go to college. When I was 17 and just a year away from going to school, I already had a retail management job offer promised to me. I was working part time at the store and the district manager loved me. They assured me there was a path for growth and I could keep doing all the work I enjoyed, just now with more money and benefits. The salary was good, or at least I thought so at the time. In one year I would make the amount I would have to spend to go to college for 4 years. 

High school Kat math was “if I can make money now, why would I go to college to get a job to make money?” It made perfect sense to a 17 year old me. So that night at dinner, I proudly announced to my Mom that I had a job offer and would not be going to college. This is where I should mention that my Mom was a finance officer in the military. She reacted exactly how you might expect her to based on her career path: a firm “absolutely not.” The next day, there was a printed spreadsheet on my bed showing how my lifetime earnings might be impacted by this choice, ultimately implying if I skipped college I would never make enough money to retire someday. 

I ultimately decided to go to college, but every day I talk to people who had no choice in the matter. They weren’t deciding between school and work. They were deciding between feeding their family or investing in their future. The family won, and rightfully so. But the way we traditionally recruit and background check people never allowed  for knowing the nuance or the why. 

Not Hiring People With No Context Is Just Wrong

I’ve heard the stories firsthand - people with decades of experience turned away because they didn’t finish college after having a child at 18. Others who made a mistake as a teenager and have spent every year since trying to grow their career by working hard, but still face roadblocks. These biases about degrees and criminal records create barriers to jobs, occupational licensing, housing, and higher education opportunities. It can be devastating. 

Research from the National Conference of State Legislatures shows, 1 in 3 Americans has a prior conviction or arrest - and that includes a huge range of experiences and outcomes. With that large of the talent pool impacted, you can’t afford not to allow for context on the background check or you’re excluding a lot of available talent that’s very capable of doing the work. 

What might be surprising for many employers to know is that research from Northwestern University shows that employees with a criminal record have higher retention rates. I found this study fascinating. It was conducted by a recruiting firm for roles from customer service to sales. In the study (read it here), employees with records had a 13% lower turnover rate. That saved the company $1,000 per year for each person hired. The research ultimately concluded that employees with a criminal background are, in fact, a better pool for employers.

You Need The Stories Behind The Background Check 

The opportunity to provide context could cost you a high-performance candidate that will actually stay. Now, you need clarity and context in every step of hiring - from the job post all the way to the results of a background check. Early in the process with the job post, it’s getting specific with language. Instead of a generic job post one liner like “lead a team,” it’s “lead a team of 10 marketing professionals who look to you for guidance and advice.” This is where a yes or no makes a lot of sense. Did you do this? No? Ok, this job isn’t for you. 

For background checks, it’s using a tool that offers the ability for a candidate to give you context on their background check results. As someone who has thought a lot about which tactics can open doors and reduce systemic barriers in hiring, I see this feature as a step in the right direction. Rather than using criminal records to automatically reject people based on an irrelevant record, now you can ask for context that creates clarity into the story. That’s access. That’s progress. If we say we believe in people, we have to act like it - and this is a step in the right direction. 

Emotionally, I know the impact of asking for candidate stories is much greater. This is a subtle cue to candidates that the hiring process gives people a real chance. An investment in a provider that offers the chance to share context around information on a background check report, for example context about a past conviction or arrest, lets people speak their truth and help you hire the best person instead of rejecting them for an irrelevant reason. Shout out to Checkr for introducing me to this idea and making it real in their product. 

Meet Our Sponsor: Checkr 

Checkr is the data platform that powers safe and fair decisions. We’re a technology company that helps our customers assess risk, modernize hiring, and cultivate trusted relationships in their workplaces and communities. For more information, visit checkr.com.